Precocious Love
by Anonymous Contributer
Summary: Lucina has had a crush on Robin since she was a little girl. Now she's grown up and went back to the past to fix everything, but is distracted by her feelings for the handsome tactician. How is she supposed to save the future when a total hottie is always by your side and you can't control your jealousy near a certain dark mage? And why is hilarity ensuing?
1. Bumbling Beginnings

**Chapter 1 – Bumbling Beginnings**

**Hey everyone, it's my birthday...yesterday! How old am I now you didn't ask? Well now when I'm depressed and wanna drink myself into a coma, I can do it legally, instead of using knockout gas to steal from the liquor store! And to celebrate my brithday I decided to give you all this story as a thank you-gift for all the glowing praise you've given me for "FIRE EMBLEM: AWAKENING (Honest Game Trailers)".**

**So about this story: If anyone has read my profile (HAHAHA! Like anyone actually reads those!), you can tell this was not a planned thing. It also goes against my FE:A OTP (RobinXLucina is good, but I'll always be a proud crew member aboard the GeromeXLucina ship! It also seems I'm the only member of this ship, which sucks because we're in the middle of the ocean and I don't know how to drive a boat). Well since this is a gift, I'm just gonna give you the pairing you all love (don't deny it). After all, pandering to the fanbase is always good, right? Right!? Okay, that was mean to be sarcasm, but then I realized pandering is part of the reason "RWBY Volume 2" is like at least 10 times better than "Volume 1".**

**I'm also gonna let you in on something. Half the reason I wrote this is because I'm using this story as an experiment to test out a theory (you don't need to know the details). The other half is because there was a joke I thought up and I had to use it (you'll know it when you see it). You've also probably noticed this title doesn't say complete. Well that's because if this goes well, I will consider writing more of this and making it a full-fledged series. Now onto the show!**

**Rating: T for mild sexual references and strong language in the author's notes.**

* * *

><p><em>The Original Future…<em>

"Chrom, I'm here!" called out a white-haired man.

He was currently standing in the foyer of the Royal Palace of Ylisse, waiting for the Exalt (and his best friend), and the rest of his family. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long, as he could already hear two tiny pairs of feet racing towards him.

"Robin's here! Robin's here!" two girly voices chanted.

The lone man known as Robin crouched down with his arms wide open, preparing himself for the inevitable outcome of two little girls crashing into him, enveloping him in a big hug.

"Whoa-ho! Hey now." said Robin as he finally composed himself and looked down at the young, bluenette princesses, Lucina and Cynthia. "I call for Chrom, and get you two instead."

"Tee hee. That's because we're your bestest friends!" giggled Cynthia. "Even more than daddy!" Lucina only nodded in agreement.

With a cheeky grin, Robin replied, "That's a good point. Who needs him when I got my favorite girls right in front of me." He then ruffled the children's hair, eliciting more laughter out of both of them and a blush from Lucina.

"Oh please. They only love you because you spoil them so much." spoke a masculine voice in a joking tone.

Robin looked in the voice's direction and found a handsome, blue-haired, regal-looking man followed by a lovely woman in whitish armor walking towards him. They were the leader of the country, Chrom, and his queen, Sumia, respectively. And of course, they were obviously the parents of Lucina and Cynthia.

"Well maybe if you ran into my arms every once in a while, I'd spoil you too." Robin jested back.

"I've seen the way you two behave to each other." The woman, Sumia, piped up. "Believe me; I get jealous the way he looks so lovingly at you."

Everyone in the foyer laughed at this except for Lucina. The poor girl just couldn't get a grasp on humor whatsoever, and now here she was awkwardly stuck in the middle of a bunch of people chortling at a joke she didn't understand. But she didn't stay confused for long, as her eyes lit up brighter than the sun when she noticed a bag beside Robin.

"Robin brought us something!" she cheered.

Chrom glanced at the bag before giving Robin an all-knowing look. "See? This is exactly what I'm talking about."

"Oh come on, we're going away on another mission to save not only Ylisse this time, but the rest of the world! Surely, I should give them gifts to make up for the fact that we'll be gone for Naga only knows how long again."

Chrom gave an annoyed sigh while his wife, in contrast, gave a small smile. Meanwhile, the girls couldn't contain their excitement.

"Okay, let's see what I have here." The white-haired man started digging through the bag. "For Cynthia, I have this lovely figurine." He pulled out a small wooden sculpture of a Pegasus, finely crafted and painted to perfection.

"EEEEEEE!" The younger princess squealed in delight as she accepted her present. "Thank you Robin! Thank you thank you thank you!"

Robin smiled. "You're very welcome Cynthia. And as for Lucina…" he pulled out a rolled up piece of cloth. "TADA!" he exclaimed as he unfurled it.

The parents and even Cynthia cringed at the sight of the gift, but Lucina however, was elated. There in Robin's hands was a hideous, brightly-colored dress. There was lots of green and purple and orange and all the colors looked like they were placed in the exact spot where they shouldn't be placed.

"It's beautiful. Thank you Robin." The older princess was given the horrible abomination that was considered a dress only by principle and started checking it out in full detail.

"It…sure is dear." Sumia lied through her teeth.

"Do you honestly think that dress looks good?" Chrom whispered to his best friend.

"Of course not." Robin murmured back. "But she likes it and it makes her happy. That's good enough for me."

Chrom sighed once more. "Where did I go wrong in raising her?" he half-lamented, half-joked.

"It's not entirely your fault." Sumia looked toward her husband. "We've been so busy with the war in Valm, we haven't had a chance to raise them ourselves or even watch them grow up." Her mood visibly deflated after pointing all of this out.

"You know Sumia, you don't have to come with us this time." suggested Robin. "You could stay here with your daughters and mother them like you always wanted."

She shook her head in response. "No. Grima's revival is looming on the horizon. We need every force we can get to stop him." She looks down at her children. "For their sake."

"Are you really gonna leave us again?" Cynthia looked up at the adults with sad wide eyes.

"I'm afraid so my pega-pony princess." Chrom affirmed using the nickname his youngest loves so much. After seeing her look so dejected, he decided to soften the blow by appealing to her love of heroics. "But we will be back once we save the world."

The littlest one brightened at this declaration. "Right, because you're the greatest heroes I know!"

"Well I'm not sure if I'm all that great." Robin half-joked. "But I can guarantee you your father and mother are the best of the best."

Lucina didn't catch onto the joke (as usual), and tried to convince him otherwise. "That's not true!" she declared. "You're just as much of an amazing hero as Father and Mother!"

The self-depreciator gave a small sad smile. "Well I may be as amazing as you say." he indulged in himself before going melancholy. "But heroes always get their happy ending. You're father and mother realized their feelings for each other, got married, and had two wonderful children that they get to go back to once we end all of this. As for me, I have nothing. No one's waiting for me when I get back."

Chrom and Sumia looked worriedly at their friend. He's been having unhealthy thoughts like this for quite some time, and they knew the main reason he kept coming over and spoiling and playing with their daughters was because he was lonely.

"Well…Tharja is always eager to see you." Sumia tried to cheer her friend up.

Lucina's mood soured at the mention of a certain dark mage. Unlike most of the princess's friend's parents, Tharja isn't all that nice. She would always act coldly to practically everyone around her and even conducted experiments on her own daughter, Noire. The only person Tharja seemed to like was Robin, which also made the princess unhappy. She was always stalking the kind man, invading his personal space, and making him generally uncomfortable, acting like his obsessed lover, despite already being married herself. Anyone who did that to her favorite grown-up (besides her parents of course) and acted so unfaithfully to their significant other earned the ire of the petite girl.

It also probably didn't help that Lucina…maybe…kind of has the tiniest, measliest, most insignificant crush on the thoughtful, good-looking, and wonderful Robin. But surely that was irrelevant, and not even worth mentioning.

"Hey, I may be lonely, but I also enjoy my privacy." Robin scoffed at Sumia's idea.

"Indeed." chuckled Chrom. "And you know the old saying. 'Don't stick_'"

"CHROM! Not in front of the children!" Sumia scolded harshly.

"Not only that," Robin began in a serious tone. "I don't want you talking bad about Tharja. She may be…odd, but she truly does mean well, and she's just as much of a valued Shepherd as the rest of us."

Lucina sighed. Of course Robin would defend Tharja no matter how much of a creep she is to him. He was just that nice, and she was still his friend.

"What about Lucy?" Cynthia chimed in, breaking Lucina out of her thoughts. "Why don't you marry her when you come back like all those heroes in Mommy's stories?"

The older princess's eyes went wide and her face went stark white. Her reaction, along with Cynthia's outburst, drew the adult's attention straight to the siblings.

'She wouldn't…' Lucina panicked in her thoughts. She nervously turned her head towards her sister. "Cy-…Cynthia…"

"She reeeeeeeeeeeeeally likes you." Cynthia had the biggest grin on her face.

"**I DO NOT! SH-SHUT UP!**" And just like that, Lucina's face went from bright white to deep crimson in an instant while Cynthia was laughing up a storm.

The adults looked at each other and all of them wore a smile. It was clear that the eldest daughter held affections for the family friend. After all, it's not unusual for a child to develop a small crush to an adult they're close to. And besides, they figured they could use this to make saying goodbye a little easier.

"Lucina." Robin started, making the girl finally stop yelling at her still chortling sibling. He got down on one knee so he could be at eye level with the small bluenette. "Is this true?"

Face still flushed, Lucina tried to stammer out an answer. "I-I…uh…I…"

She couldn't finish before Robin enveloped her in a warm comforting hug, making her lose her train of thought.

"I'll make sure I come back just for you. Alright?"

At this moment, the little Lucina couldn't care what was going on around her, or the inevitable teasing she was going to get from her sister. She returned the hug wholeheartedly, embracing the white-haired man who always made her feel special. There was still one question she had to ask though.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

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><p><em>The New Present…<em>

*sigh*

Lucina was currently sitting at a table outside a café nearby the Ylissean docks. The Shepherds were busy preparing for the war against Valm, loading all the cargo and necessities onto the ships they received from Plegia. Lucina insisted on trying to help in any way she could, but after telling everyone of the horrific future she came from and was trying to prevent, Chrom wanted his daughter to try to ease off as much stress as she could after all she's been through. Lucina tried to assure her father that she had no need to rest and was perfectly capable with lending a hand, but her father would hear none of it.

So here she was, trying to relax with a nice cup of tea. Emphasis on _trying_, as there was still one thing that was working her up.

"That's the fourth ship fully loaded. Good work everyone! We're making great time!"

And that was that one thing. That voice came from none other than Robin, the Master Tactician of the Shepherds, who was overlooking all the work being done.

Lucina had one mission for why she went back in time; to prevent Grima's revival, the apocalyptic future, and the death of her parents (and those of her friends' as well). But when she finally got to properly introduce herself to Robin, all those feelings she had towards him during her childhood returned tenfold.

Yes, she did have a crush on the Tactician when she was younger, to the point where she would often fantasize spending her life with him (which she would secretly get him to help with whenever they play "house") and writing about how cute and handsome he is in her diary (which Cynthia must've read, because there could be no other plausible way she found out about her affections. She was very discreet with her constant blushing and goo-goo eyes). But that was just it, it was just a crush. She was supposed to get over it when she grew up, not have it blossom into something further.

Though to be fair, he did die along with the rest of the Shepherds in the future, so seeing him alive again is bound to cause some reaction. It also didn't help that he was younger and dreamier in this time as well.

"Oh Robin~" called out a seductive voice.

Broken out of her stupor, Lucina looked in the direction of Robin and found Tharja right next to him, causing the princess to narrow her eyes dangerously. Where did that woman even come from?

"GAH! THARJA!?" Robin's outburst showed that he also didn't see her even remotely nearby. "Uh…d-did you need something?"

"More like you need something." Tharja simply stated. "You've been working so hard all day; you must be tired and stressed out. How about you come with me so I can…relieve your pent-up tension."

"Uuuuuuh…" Robin was clearly uncomfortable with where this was heading, but still couldn't help but blush and work up a nervous sweat. "You're certainly much more forward than usual." he gulped. "Whatever happened to stalking me behind a bush or something?"

"That was getting me nowhere. So I decided to try out a new tactic." The dark mage then smirked bewitchingly. "You would know all about that wouldn't you?"

Robin could only reply with an uneasy chuckle.

Lucina dreaded what was going on in front of her. She thought that maybe by traveling close to Tharja, she could maybe find the goodness in the sorceress that Robin is always assuring she has. Though so far, she could find none, and the harpy just shamelessly throws herself at the tactician even more so than in the future (probably because she was still single now). As far as Lucina was concerned, Tharja was still the same cold, condescending succubus who would abuse her hexes and flaunt her possession of the evilest creation on par with Grima himself.

_**Breasts.**_

Lucina was convinced that breasts were the telltale signs of wickedness in a woman's heart, which temptresses then use to seduce weak-willed men. It makes perfect sense why Tharja's are so big then, because she was the epitome of meanness, and why the future Exalt herself could be mistaken for a cutting board, because she was innocent and pure. Thank Naga Lucina managed to figure it all out with completely rational thought unaffected by feelings of inadequacy and jealousy.

Still though, it seems very unfair that the malevolent have an advantage with attracting men than those who are benevolent. And while Lucina didn't like the idea of stooping to Tharja's level (and the fact that it's a little degrading to woman in general), maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to use body parts to try to get Robin to notice her. The question is which ones?

Her arms? She has seen some men use theirs to get women to notice them, maybe it can work the other way around. Unfortunately, it seems the main appeal of arms is bulging muscles, and while Lucina is fairly strong, her biceps don't have that much definition.

Maybe her hair? Her mother and sister always complimented her hair, saying it always looked beautiful. Alas, Tharja could easily compete with Lucina in that department as well with her own amazing and shiny hair. Curse that harlot and whatever luxurious, dark magic shampoo she uses!

Wait, what about her butt? Of course, it's perfect! Butts are just like breasts, only in a different spot and lacking nipples. And unlike her chest, Lucina's bottom is definitely developed. Surely she could attract Robin with her butt, right? Right!?

Oh who is she kidding!? No one likes butts!

"Yo, Lucy!" Called out a cheerful voice.

Planning out "Operation: Notice Me Robin" was put on hold once Lucina saw her mother and Aunt heading towards her.

"Oh, good afternoon Mother, Aunt Lissa." The swordswoman greeted politely.

"Hello honey." Sumia replied in kind.

"Sooooo~" Lissa grinned. "Whatcha doin'?"

"I'm simply following Father's orders to try to relax, so I decided to have some tea while I wait for our departure tomorrow." Lucina took a sip of said tea.

"WHAT!? That is so not fair!" The cleric shouted. "I'm Chrom's adorable sister and the Shepherds' go-to medic, and he hasn't once given me a break, even though it's a lot of work healing people! And what's the first assignment he gives to his daughter from the future?" She adopts her perfect Chrom imitation. "Lucina, I order you to take a load off. Dine on plenty of fine chocolates while you're at it. I'll have the servants bring around your royal bed so you may travel comfortably while they carry you on their shoulders."

Sumia laughed at Lissa's behavior, while Lucina, who still didn't understand the concept of humor, was part confused as neither she nor Chrom mentioned anything about chocolates or beds, part nervous that she may have offended her aunt, and part surprised at how spot-on Lissa's impression of her father was.

"If it makes you feel any better Aunt Lissa, I would rather be helping out with loading the supplies. Not doing anything makes me feel like a burden."

"You just need some company dearie." assured Sumia. "Good thing as Queen of Ylisse, I can use my royal authority to have Lissa and I join you."

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Lissa cheered as she and the Queen sat down with Lucina. "And best part of all, we get front row seats to the show!" She motioned towards Robin and Tharja, at which Lucina's frustration returned.

The dark mage was still trying to flirt with Robin. She was nothing if not persistent if she was still going at it after all this time, but it seems her attempts came off too creepy to have any positive effect. She was however, using her arms to push up and frame her dastardly bosoms to make them more noticeable, which was definitely making the tactician blush.

Now Lucina wasn't the best at understanding social norms and cues (or even barely mediocre at it), but even she didn't want to make a scene. At least not without making sure it was a scene in the first place. "Shouldn't we try to stop her?"

"No, no, it's fine!" Lissa snickered. "Stuff like this happens between these two all the time."

"WHAT!? ALL THE TIME!?"

"It's true." Sumia confirmed, also clearly enjoying the display. "Tharja will come up with some zany scheme to try to get Robin to love her at least once a week. They never work, but Robin is so kind-hearted, that he can't outright reject her and ends up in her clutches much longer than necessary. Sometimes he's just too nice for his own good."

"Not unlike a certain niece of mine." Lissa gave an all-knowing smirk to the aforementioned niece. The remark and expression only served to confuse Lucina.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Lucina," Sumia gave her daughter a sympathetic smile. "When are you going to tell Robin you have feelings for him?"

A dam might as well have broken with lava bursting inside Lucina's head, because that's how quick her face was burning.

"**WHAT!?**" the future Exalt shrieked. It was a miracle no attention was attracted to them. "I DO NOT HAVE FEELINGS FOR ROBIN!"

"Riiiiiiiiiiiiight~" Lissa snarked, still with that same smirk on her face.

"See Mother!? Aunt Lissa understands!"

"That was sarcasm Luce." The blonde explained. "You've only been with us for two days, and half the time I see you, you're just admiring Robin with hearts in your eyes."

"Th-That's not true!" Lucina denied unconvincingly. "I'll have you know that I was simply…" She tried to think of an alibi, which surprisingly didn't take long. "Admiring Father. He and Robin just happen to be around each other very often. And I can assure you, my eyes were in no way heart-shaped."

"A convenient excuse." The Pegasus rider noted out loud. There was some truth about Chrom and Robin always being around each other. It was enough to make a loving wife jealous. Or at least it would if Sumia didn't like to…entertain some fantasies involving her husband and his best friend (and sometimes a certain brown-haired servant).

"Okay, then why is the other half the time I see you, you're just glaring at Tharja whenever she's within five feet of Robin?" Lissa asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well_"

"Answer: You're super jealous and see her as your love rival."

"NOOO!" The bluenette insisted. "I'm just…" She paused to think of another false excuse. "Worried that she might try to force Robin into an unreciprocated marriage. Not only would it make him unhappy, but it could drastically change the future!"

"So that means they're not married to each other in the future?" questioned Sumia.

"Well…no." admitted Lucina. "Robin remained unwedded, while Tharja was married to_"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on!" Lissa interrupted. "Robin never married!?"

"Yes." Lucina confirmed. "In fact, I remember when I was a child, I overheard Father and Mother talking about how worried they were for him, and that he was always spending time with me to cope with his loneliness."

Lucina started to feel sympathy for her best friend/not-crush in the future. Unfortunately for her, she noticed her mother and aunt both had sly smiles when she mentioned all of this.

Realizing what they're thinking, Lucina tried to dissuade them "I-it's not what you think!"

Clearly not the most convincing attempt.

"It's okay sweetie." said Sumia. "You have my approval. He is quite a catch after all."

"Mother!"

"This is so adorable!" Lissa squealed." You're like a lovesick puppy!"

"I am not_ wait, puppies can get lovesick?"

"It's just an expression Lucina." Her mother explained. "We should probably try to make sure you get a better grasp on those."

"Let's just tackle one problem at a time here." decided Lissa. "Starting with Lucina's love life."

"I DO NOT LOVE ROBIN!" Lucina shouted. She then started to look dejected. "And even if I did, it would never work. I come from the future, and once the fell dragon has been slain, I will have to return to my time without him. Not to mention that a relationship with him will undoubtedly alter the timeline. We can never be together."

"Okay, a) you came back to the past to change the future in the first place. Why bother preserving it if you're just gonna mix it up anyways?"

"Time is very delicate. Even the minorest variation in events can cause a massively different future, and there's usually no telling if it's for the best." Lucina explained. "The only reason I traveled back to prevent Grima's resurrection is because it would undoubtedly be for the best."

"And making sure Robin stays lonely and single is also for the best?" brought up Sumia.

Lucina bit her lower lip. "Alright, I suppose we could help Robin in that regard. As long as it's someone who wasn't married before and will truly make Robin happy. A-and as long as it's not me, for I do not love him!"

"Uh huh, yeah, sure you don't." Lissa was clearly unconvinced. "And b) you are _not _entering our lives just to leave us! You may have just joined us, but already we can't imagine life without you! You're family, and the Shepherds don't let go of family that easily, y'know."

"Aunt Lissa…" Lucina was truly touched by what she just heard.

"And most importantly, we haven't done any Auntie and Niece bonding time!" There was a cheeky grin on the childlike cleric's face. "We need to go shopping, play pranks on Robin, and try out this new thing I came up with where all us girls stay up all night hanging out and sleeping over at the palace!"

Sumia quirked her eyebrow at her sister-in-law. "You do know you already have a niece to do all that stuff with, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't wanna wait 17 years before she's old enough. I wanna bond now!"

Lucina couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry Aunt Lissa, I'd be happy to go shopping with you, and even do this 'sleepover' idea of yours." She will not, however, pull any pranks on anyone, no matter how harmless they might be. Especially not to someone as sweet as Robin. "I've always dreamed of such mundane pleasures. However, that doesn't change the fact that I must still leave in the end."

"How exactly do you even plan to go back to the future anyway?"

"I assume that Naga could use the same power that sent me back in time in reverse."

"Assume?" questioned the Queen. "You mean you're putting all your chances to go back based on an assumption?"

The swordswoman had now realized how flawed her planning was. "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuh…"

"Didn't think this through did you?" Lissa smirked.

"In my defense, we were panicking and desperate to find a way to fix everything!" Lucina argued, clearly embarrassed. "We were too distraught to think rationally!" She guzzled the rest of her tea out of sheer nervousness.

"Well now you have no excuse to leave. So now you can freely marry Robin and have babies ever after!"

Lucina was ready to retort when a loud yell interrupted their conversation.

"**OH NAGA! THARJA PLEASE GET OFF OF ME!**"

All three women turned to the direction of the sound and saw a sight that made something inside Lucina snap. Right there, Tharja was hugging a tomato-faced Robin (which to Lucina, might as well have been the equivalent to dry humping) and pressing her large despicable mounds up against his chest. Robin was clearly uncomfortable, and was awkwardly trying his best not to touch the dark mage in any way possible.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Lissa cackled. "See what I mean Lucina? I swear, Robin has the best expressions!" Her smile momentarily faded when she practically saw the hostile aura around her niece. It soon came back when she realized she could use this to her advantage. "So how are you gonna get back your man?"

There were many feelings Lucina was experiencing at the moment. Jealousy, territorial, and a ferocity that made her blood boil hotter than the magma at the world's core. And all because that _**witch**_ had the gall to do a completely acceptable public display of affection towards the noble and gallant Robin. This is unacceptable!

"Uh, Lucina…" her mother fearfully tried to get her attention. Lucina's only response was to crush the teacup in her hand to pieces and storm over to the sickening display before her.

"She's Chrom's daughter alright." Lissa calmly noted.

By the time Lucina got over to the sickening display, she somehow managed to calm herself from a walking raging inferno to good ol' Lucy with a normal angry expression. She coughed violently into her hand to get the two Shepherds' attention.

Robin and Tharja looked at the princess with different expressions. The former looked surprised and strangely even more worried, while the latter ditched her flirty look for an annoyed one.

"What do you want?" Tharja asked coldly.

Lucina opened her mouth to protest, but realized a painful fact. She came to them with no strategy whatsoever. She couldn't just tell Tharja that she couldn't seduce Robin without justification. All traces of anger vanished from her face, and signs of panic began to show.

"Lucina, are you alright?" Robin asked, concerned about how his best friend's daughter was behaving.

"Yes! Y-yes I am!" lied Lucina. "It's just that…" She struggled to look for an excuse, which fortunately didn't take long as she remembered a certain little detail. "I wanted to inform you that the fifth ship is fully loaded."

Robin's blush finally subsided thanks to finally remembering what he was supposed to be doing. "Oh, thank you Lucina." He turned to Tharja. "I'm sorry Tharja, but as you can see, I'm really busy overlooking everything." He somehow managed to slip out from the seductress's grasp and stood next to Lucina.

Tharja was clearly unamused at what just transpired, but like Lucina, she knew better than to make a scene in public. "Fine. I'll let you go…this time." She gave one final glare to the future child (who returned it in full) and took her leave.

Robin let out a sigh. "Be honest Lucina. Is the fifth ship _really_ fully loaded?"

Lucina began to look ashamed. "I…do not know for sure. I apologize."

Robin gave a kind smile in return. "It's alright. I really appreciate you helping me out there. That more than makes up for it."

A soft blush appears on the bluenette's cheeks. "Thank you Robin, but if you don't mind, I would like to really pay you back by helping you overlook the loading process."

"Aren't you supposed to be taking it easy under direct orders from your father?" The whitehead smirked.

Lucina shyly looked away and twiddled her fingers. "Well yes, but I feel Father is being irrational. N-not that I don't respect his decision, but_"

Robin chuckled at her cute behavior. "Don't worry. Chrom's just being a little overprotective because he cares that much. Besides, I'd rather have an extra set of eyes anyway. If your father gives you a hard time, I'll take the fall. Dealing with Chrom is easier than dealing with Tharja any day."

The two of them smiled at each other, both secretly enjoying gazing at a pretty face. They might've stayed like that forever if Sumia's voice hadn't called out to them.

"See Lucina? It can work out."

The not-couple looked at the two royal women seeming very pleased at what they witnessed.

"And what have you two been doing?" Robin smirked as he headed over with Lucina following.

"Nothing~" sang Lissa. "Just enjoying the show."

Robin frowned after hearing that. "You mean you just watched Tharja go all…Tharja on me for 10 minutes, and you just sat there!?"

"Hey, we're royalty! We shouldn't be expected to do anything! Besides, who wants to deal with Tharja?"

"I'll admit, sometimes I wonder why she's even in the Shepherds." Sumia confessed.

"Hey now, I don't want anyone talking like that about Tharja." Robin was getting serious now. "She's a Shepherd just like any of us. Hell, she was even against Gangrel's rule."

"Robin, at some point, _every_ Plegian was against Gangrel's rule." Lissa pointed out.

"But she defected _before_ Emmeryn sacrificed herself and made the Plegians morale waver. Not only that, what was the first thing she did when she joined thee Shepherds?"

"She…" Sumia looked down in shame. "Blasted a bunch of archers with dark magic that were aiming for me and my darling Pegasus."

"Right! So I don't want to hear any more bad things about her from now on. No rumors about her being a spy, no conspiracies that she's a fallen angel who's just taking up our space, I want none of it! She's as important as anyone else here."

Lucina let out a sad sigh. Despite her trying to force herself onto him, Robin still defended Tharja no matter what had just occurred. Granted, she could at least finally give the sorceress some benefit of the doubt, as she never knew beforehand that she saved her mother.

"Hey what's all that broken porcelain on the ground?" asked Robin.

Lucina looked at said porcelain and gasped when she realized what it was. "Oh no, the teacup!" Robin raised an eyebrow. "I broke it by accident. I better clean it up and pay for the damages." She bent over to pick up the pieces.

As she was doing this, Robin stared at her with curious intent. This didn't go unnoticed by Lissa, and with the cheekiest grin on her face, she lifted up her niece's cape, giving Robin a view that made him his cheeks go red and his mind to fizzle out for a moment.

"What the_" Lucina turned around after she felt her cape being manipulated. "Aunt Lissa?"

"It wasn't me! It was the wind, I swear!"

Lucina looked unconvinced, and rightfully so. However, Robin's blushing face got her attention. "Robin, are you alright?"

"Y-y-yeah! Of course I am! J-just…when you're done here, come over to me and we can get to work. We still got a buttload of supplies_ I-I-I M-MEAN A LOT OF SUPPLIES TO LOAD ON THE SHIPS!" He hurriedly walked away, leaving Lucina confused, and her mother and aunt giggling.

"Don't worry about the cup dear." assured Sumia. "I'll take care of it. You go on and help Robin."

"And remember Lucy," Lissa began to speak. "Just because you lack 'certain assets' doesn't mean you don't have others to use to your advantage." She winked and entered another giggling fit with Sumia.

Lucina didn't know what they were chuckling about, but that doesn't matter right now. She can now finally hang out with Robin.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sorry. This was a terrible, terrible idea.<strong>

**It started out with a sickeningly sweet prologue that made me puke cotton candy, then we got a boring slice of life segment peppered with only the one real dirty joke to compensate. This is totally gonna ruin all my internet street cred that I pretend I have! I better fix it by finally getting to work on that original story I wanted to write. *starts writing, only to find out I'm just making another "Fire Emblem: Awakening" fic.***

**FUCK! Screw this, I'm gonna go kill angels with my chainsaw feet in "Bayonetta 2"! That'll sate my anger and blood lust for a bit. **


	2. High Seas, High Tension

**Chapter 2 – High Seas, High Tension**

**Hi everybody! So wow, where to start? So as I mentioned in the last chapter, part of the reason I made this was to test out a theory, which was proven to be more accurate than I could possibly imagine...much to my disappointment (I won't bore you with the details).**

**I also said I would make this a full-fledged series if this became popular enough. And since this easily became my most popular fic...yeah... If I was smart, I would drop all my other projects and work solely on this since this is clearly what all you people care about (as the bombing of _Villaintine's Day_ painfully showed me). But unfortunately, I'm a known dumbass, so I'm still gonna work on other stuff, like more _Honest Trailers_ parodies and such, despite meaning it would slow down updates for this. But hey, I try to be nice (and have various success with that), so for my good deed for the month, I worked on this before starting my original story and my planned FE:A fic that I wanted to do first just for you people.**

**My only problem is, I have zero idea where to go with this story! Maybe I should've thought this out more than "not at all". So for now, I think I can belt out a few more jokes and ideas and keep that trend going for a while until I come up with a proper plan (or until you people get tired with this shit). That being said, I could use your guys' advice for something. I have no idea what to do for first generation pairings. Yes this is a big deal, I want to have the other future kids show up later, and I'm going to need to know who their fathers are for specific interactions and for what their hair colors will be (don't lie, that was at least a factor for why you did at least _some_ of your pairings). So what should I do? Should I go for the canon pairings that's implied in the game's coding (yes, this is a thing. Go look it up and be stupefied how the implied canon pairings most likely do not match up to most of your own). Should I just pander again and go for what the pairings fanon seems to agree on? Should I do some combination of the two? Throw me a bone here, please!**

**Okay before I shut up, there's at least one more thing I want to talk about, even though it's kind of old news by now. Did you guys hear that in _Pokkén_ _Tournament_, there's a stage called "Chrom Town"!? That's the best thing ever! That makes me think Chrom got so salty over the _Smash Bros._ jokes, that he built his own town where he abolished cock-fighting so he could have his own fighting tournament! Then I imagine that he's standing on a building somewhere in the background where he's watching the Pokémon fight for his entertainment. You know what, that's canon now! That is now the official backstory of _Pokkén Tournament_! Hell, that would be a hilarious fanfic idea that I would TOTALLY read!**

**Speaking of hype fighting games, they're FINALLY making a new _Dissidia_ game! _Final Fantasy_ and I have a strained relationship, but I freaking LOVE _Dissidia_! Easily the second best fighting game series, only beaten out by _Smash Bros._**

**Oh right, the story. On with the show!**

**Rating: T for violence and strong language.**

* * *

><p>All the ships were now finally fully loaded. Every member of the Shepherds and the Ylissean army was onboard and accounted for. It was now time to set sail and take the battle to Valm. Cruising across the ocean, the foremost ship's passengers (who else but the Shepherds) were taking in this experience.<p>

"Ah, take it all in! Breathtaking." Robin merrily stated, staring at the scene beyond the ship's railing. "The blue skies, the calm seas. I could get used to this."

"I know right?" agreed Lissa. "It's so beautiful. It almost makes me forget we're doing this in the first place to go to another war."

"Please don't talk about that." Sumia requested. "This is my first sea voyage, and I've been enjoying it so far."

"You're right." apologized Lissa. "I wouldn't want to ruin my first time either."

"Really? I would've thought the princess of Ylisse would've taken many royal cruises." teased Robin.

"Yeah well Ylisse didn't have any ships to take cruises on." Lissa smirked. "Besides, just because we're royalty doesn't mean we do nothing besides lazing around in luxury."

"But you would like to, wouldn't you?"

"Ha ha. Chrom back me up here." No response came. "Chrom?"

A low groan came from the other side of the ship. The three Shepherds turned around and saw their leader hunched over the railing with Lucina rubbing his back.

"Father, are you going to be alright?" Lucina asked overly worried.

"Urk…I'll be fine Lucina." Chrom tried to reassure, although the seasickness in his voice betrayed him. "It's my first time on a vessel, and well— *gasp*…I can say for certain now that I don't fancy myself as a sea captain." He felt something rise up in his throat. "Oh Naga!"

At that moment, Chrom started blowing chunks over the railing, causing everyone to cringe in disgust.

"Gross gross gross gross gross gross gross gross!" Lissa cried out.

"I won't be kissing that mouth anytime soon." said Sumia.

"Our leader and Exalt ladies and gentlemen." snarked Robin.

"Ugh…laughing at said leader and Exalt's suffering. Our tactician ladies and gentlemen." Chrom fired back. He did sound better though. "Seriously, how can you people enjoy this?"

"Are you kidding me? Being on here just gives me a sense of nostalgia of all those times I played pirates as a kid."

Chrom looked at his best friend incredulously. "You have amnesia. How would you remember your childhood?"

"Well yeah, but come on. What little boy didn't play pirates while growing up?"

"Okay you got me. I too played pirates when I was young." The Exalt admitted. He and Robin shared a good chuckle.

Lucina however frowned at the laughing men. "How could you do that!?" Her outburst got them to quiet down and look at her to see what was wrong. "Why would noble heroes such as yourselves ever want to be such despicable lawless criminals such as pirates!? I thought you were better than that Father!"

Chrom smiled when he realized this was just a simple misunderstanding. "Relax Lucina. We were only pretending to be pirates for fun."

"Besides, when you're that young, you don't know about all the pillaging and rape." Robin added. "You mainly just did it because of the treasure hunts and cool hats."

Lucina's stance on the matter did not waver. "You're still being thieves. Robbing people of their belongings."

"Well, we were…good pirates." The tactician made up on the spot.

"Good pirates?" Lucina questioned.

"Yeah you know, good pirates. The ones that beat up the evil pirates and take back all the treasures they stole and return it to all the innocent folk."

The future Exalt was skeptical. "I doubt there are any pirates with such morals."

"Okay you want to know the truth? The truth is: it's a man's romance to be a pirate." Robin explained.

That definitely caught Lucina's attention. "A man's romance!?" she gasped. Her head was flooded with thoughts about what this could mean.

Do men really love pirates in "that way"? She of course wouldn't stoop so low as becoming a pirate herself, but if she dressed up as one, would that get Robin to take an interest in her? Could that be the way to win his heart?

What was she thinking!? He clearly meant something else by it entirely. She's here to save the future, not chase some silly childhood crush. Even if it was Robin, a delightful altruistic man that any woman would pray to be with. She had priorities darn it! Thwart Grima's revival, save the future, protect her father, locate her friends, never give her mother and aunt the satisfaction that she's enamored with Robin, wear a bandana on her head to see if Robin will like it…

Wait…something's wrong with this list of priorities.

"Yeah." came Robin's response. "Boys love to play pirates. Just like girls love to have tea parties. That about right girls?" He looked to Lissa and Sumia for confirmation.

Both women looked a little on edge when they were asked the question. "Weeeell…" they both said.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback…<em>

A very young Lissa and Sumia stood across from each other with a tea party table between them. Both had their respective best friends by their side. Lissa had the snooty Maribelle, and Sumia had the dependable Cordelia. The whole scene gave off a shady vibe. Or as shady as a scene involving children whose ages weren't even in the double-digits could get.

"Sooo…" the little Lissa began. "You got the goods?"

"Of course we do." assured the small Sumia. "We run a legitimate business. You have our money?"

"Indeed we do." the mini Maribelle stated. "Shall we proceed with the deal?"

"Show us the money." the tiny Cordelia demanded.

"Show us the goods." Lissa fired back.

"Fine. The baby wants its bottle I get it." Sumia sighed. "Fluffy, bring in the tea!" She looked to a teddy bear sitting in a small chair next to her. In its lap was a box of regular teabags, which Sumia took from the bear and slid it across the table to her "customers".

"Strawberry gingerbread Darjeeling." she explained. "The finest tea in all of Rosanne."

Maribelle opened the box, pulled out a bag, and took a heavy whiff of it. "Oh yes. This is the real deal."

"Don't forget about our payment." Cordelia reminded.

"We didn't." Lissa reassured. "Mr. Snugglebunny, the money!" She turned to a stuffed rabbit in a chair with a bag labeled "Money" on it. She grabbed the bag and tossed it to the other side of the table.

Peering inside, Sumia could see many gold coins inside the bag. "Pleasure doing business with you." she complimented, satisfied with what she got and was prepared to end this transaction.

"Hold on a minute." Cordelia stopped her friend. She took a coin out of the bag and unwrapped it, revealing it to be chocolate. She then took a bite out of it. "Dark chocolate." she venomously hissed.

Sumia glared daggers at her "clients". "We said five hundred milk chocolate coins! Not this dark icky crud!"

"Well here's the thing about that." the petite princess calmly began to explain. "CHEESE IT!" Maribelle grabbed the box while Lissa flipped the table. The two blondes scattered behind a pillow fort at one end of the room.

"You got the tomes?" Lissa inquired to her partner.

"I have them right here." Maribelle picked up two children's books and handed one to Lissa.

"Alright. Let's waste these mother suckers!"

They peeked out from behind their fort with outstretched hands screaming "Pew! Pew! Pew!"

Sumia and Cordelia were now using the flipped table as a pretend makeshift cover and did the same, only they were shouting "Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!"

"Pew! Pew! Pew!"

"Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!"

_End Flashback…_

* * *

><p>"Something like that." Lissa practically lied.<p>

"So did you play any games when you were a child Sweetie?" Sumia asked her daughter, trying to shift the focus off of them.

"Well, my friends and I would usually pretend we were part of a heroes' faction called 'the Justice Cabal'." Lucina smiled fondly in remembrance of her childhood.

"Ah, so you were like the next generation of Shepherds." Chrom proudly noted.

"Essentially." Lucina let the nostalgia wash over her. "We would always play in the fields, pretending to perform acts of righteousness and defeating evil villains. We even came up with character identities for ourselves. There was Drake the Dragon Knight, Beano the Barbarian Queen—"

"Oh so pirates can't be good guys, but a barbarian is eligible to be a hero?" Robin pointed out with a smirk.

Chrom's daughter realized what he was getting at. "Sh-she wasn't my character. Besides, the one who came up with her was a good person." She then remembered that Beano was her sister's character. "Usually."

"So what was your character then?" asked Chrom.

Lucina had a proud smile on her face. "I was Lucina the Swordswoman."

An awkward silence occurred after she said that, causing her to wonder if there was a problem.

"You weren't the most creative child were you?" remarked Lissa.

"I was very creative!" Lucina attempted to defend herself.

"I'm…sure you were." Chrom said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. "And I couldn't be happier to meet Lucina the Swordswoman herself."

That touched Lucina greatly. It was always a treasure to be reunited with her loving father, one of the very figures in her life that she idolized.

"However, as much as I hate to make you dredge up painful memories, now's a good time to get down to business." the Exalt suggested.

"I understand." sighed the swordswoman. She really wanted to keep reminiscing about the good times in her past, but she knew she had to warn these people about the events to come. "Where would you like me to start?"

"Actually, I was wondering why you didn't stay with us after you stopped Emm's assassination."

"I felt I had no other choice." Lucina confessed. "I could not risk altering history any more than necessary. I sought only to divert events that directly led to Grima's return. So I believed it best to protect you from afar."

"That doesn't seem like the best solution." spoke up Robin.

"Huh?"

"No offense Lucina, but what if Chrom was in peril and you were too far away to help him because you kept your distance? You just barely managed to save him from that Risen in the nick of time. Not only that, but if you had joined us earlier, you could've warned us about all of this sooner."

"I…" Lucina was at a loss for words. Robin has once again proven why he's the master tactician by pointing out all the flaws in her planning.

"_Really_ didn't think this through did you?" Lissa jested.

Despite her aunt's intention to lighten the mood, it just made Lucina feel even more ashamed. "Maybe you're right." she responded directly to Robin's statement. "And maybe if I had, Aunt Emmeryn would still be with us today."

"Don't think like that. You did what you could." Chrom reassured. He walked over to his daughter and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Just know that from now on, you don't have to do this alone. You're part of the Shepherds now, which means that you have friends and allies you can rely on."

"He's right." Robin joined in "We're in this together. As long as we've got each other's back, the fell dragon won't succeed a second time." Lissa and Sumia both gave a confident nod to show that they'll be there for the future child as well.

It took all of Lucina's willpower to not let a single teardrop fall. She knows that they wouldn't blame her if she did so after everything she's been through, but their resolve and companionship is enough to remind her of what she originally lost. Oh how she missed these people dearly.

"Everyone, thank you."

"You can thank us by telling us what happens in the future." said Lissa. "Like do I ever get married? Do I have any children? What's the latest fashion in the future?"

"Whoa whoa, hold on there sis!" Chrom chuckled. "Do you really want spoilers to something like marriage and a family?"

"Hey, if it's gonna happen, might as well speed up the process." She nonchalantly shrugged. "But fine, there is a serious question I want to ask. What would've happened if you hadn't stopped those guys who tried to kill Chrom in the gardens?"

"He would have been gravely wounded." Lucina answered. "And those wounds would have played a part in the tragedies to come."

"Whoa! Good thing you changed things huh? Maybe we can now keep him alive during this war."

"Actually, Father did not perish until after this war." Lucina corrected.

Everyone was taken aback by this new revelation. "Wait, you're saying Chrom _survived_ this war!?" exclaimed Sumia.

"Yyyyeeeeeesss…?" her daughter hesitantly confirmed, not sure why they were behaving this way.

"_This war_." Robin restated. "As in the one we're about to partake in. Where we're heavily outnumbered by at least 10-to-1 with some of the most highly trained soldiers in any military."

"And led by Walhart the Conqueror." added in Lissa. "Who's said to have a battle prowess beyond human capacity, that he's rumored to be a _demon_."

"And you're telling us that I somehow managed to live through all of that while badly wounded?" Chrom finished off.

Lucina finally understood the big picture, and with pride for her father, proclaimed "That's my father for you."

The Shepherds from the present were stunned for a good while before Robin broke the silence.

"I have to say Chrom, that's kind of badass of you."

"What, did you expect any less?" the blue-haired man indulged in himself.

However, a concerning thought suddenly popped in his head. "But if that is the case, do you know…how I die?"

Lucina has been dreading this moment. "I have heard rumors. I was told you fell in a great battle, fought to sway your destiny. …And then you were murdered— betrayed by your closest ally."

Suddenly at that instant, Robin felt a sharp pain shoot straight through his brain. He clutched his head in agony. "Nngh! Aah…"

"Robin? What is it?" Chrom asked. They were all worried for their friend, but none more so than Lucina.

"M-my head…I don't…" the tactician started to mutter.

Before he could finish, Lucina rushed to him in the blink of an eye and grasped both of his hands. "ROBIN!" She began to ask him questions at a mile a minute. "Are you okay!? Are you hurt!? Is there anything I can do to help!? Do you need any medicine!? What about some water!? Should I get Aunt Lissa to heal you!?"

The pain shown on Robin's face was quickly replaced with confusion at Lucina's behavior. "Uuuh…I'm fine now Lucina." he assured the girl. "You don't have to worry about me."

Realizing that everyone was staring at her, the bluenette hurried back to where she was originally standing. She cleared her throat while trying (and failing) to force down her blush, acting as if nothing happened. Robin and Chrom gave her a puzzled look, while Lissa and Sumia giggled at what just occurred.

"Anyways," Lucina continued from where she left off. "After your death and the return of the fell dragon, I adopted the name of the Hero-King to inspire morale not just in the people, but in myself as well. But I need that no longer. I choose to fight as Lucina now. The name that reminds me of the strength in the man and woman who chose it."

"A strength shared by the woman who bears it." the Exalt beamed. "I think that's enough information for now. If we need to know anything else, I'll be sure to ask."

"So what shall we do until we reach ashore?" Lucina inquired.

"Whatever you want to do." Chrom offered. "Valm is a long ways away, and these ships only go so fast. We might as well make the most of this before we have to engage in endless battle."

"But…I'm not sure what I want to do until then." his daughter confessed.

"Don't worry about it Lucina." Robin interjected. "One thing you should know about the Shepherds, is that we can't go five seconds without something happening."

As if on cue, the cabin door of the ship slammed open, claiming the attention of not only the group of five, but that of the other Shepherds on deck as well.

"Nyahahaha!" came the maniacal laughter from the young man in the doorway. It belonged to none other than Henry, the other newest recruit alongside Lucina. "You guys'll never believe what I just did!"

"You found a way to make a corpse keep bleeding even after it's long dead?" guessed Gaius.

"I wish. Nope, I just completed my latest and greatest creation! Behold!" Henry pulled out a medium sized orb made out of a bronzish-gold refined metal with many strange engravings and a dark purple gem embedded on top.

"Well golly! That sure is mighty perdy!" chirped Donnel. "But uh, what is it?"

"It's a Translator Orb. Or as I like to call it, the Tanslatorb." proclaimed Henry.

"Oh great. Its name is a pun. That's always fun." said Sully, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Ignoring the mocking comment, the smiling dark mage continued discussing his invention. "It's supposed to translate any complicated-sounding phrase spoken out loud and dumb it down so everyone else can understand."

Miriel brought her head in close to the Translatorb in order to better examine it. "Fascinating." She adjusted her glasses. "You're saying this device can hear and record every voice in its vicinity and then decode all of it to a form of verbal communication most comprehended by the majority of common folk. This is a most fruitful innovation. This could no doubt help eliminate language barriers between cultures and bring people of diverse societies closer together."

"Huh, I guess it could help with that. Neato." Henry began injecting magic into the orb to power it up. "I just made this so Vaike wouldn't struggle so much talking to you."

"Hey! It's not like Teach is the only one having a hard time understanding her!" the buff shirtless fighter interjected. "It wouldn't hurt to talk like a normal person, you know Miriel?"

"Perhaps if you ceased your incessant whining and made an attempt to expand your vocabulary once in a blue moon, our endeavors at interacting with one another would not be so trifling."

At that moment, the Translatorb was powered up, turned on, and made its first translation.

"_Translation: Quit your bitching and read a fucking dictionary!"_

An awkward silence permeated the entire deck of the ship after what everyone just heard. Sure it was amazing that it actually worked, but…

"Did you put a salty sailor with Tourette's in that thing? Why the hell does it swear so much?" Sully pointed out.

Henry was unfazed by all of this and continued to grin. "Nyahahaha! I don't know. I needed a brain to scan so I could have the Translatorb simplify all speech patterns into its own. So I just found a random guy who would let me scan his for a bag of chips. I guess he liked to curse a lot."

"Well that's no good. Butch already fills the position for 'resident potty mouth'." Gaius joked.

"Up yours Chuckles." Sully shot back.

"The thief does have a point however." a now grown up Maribelle spoke up. "We cannot have such vulgar words thrown around willy-nilly. It is unacceptable, and I refuse to be around such language at any time."

"_Translation: Fuck this shit!"_

"What the—!?"

"Was that really necessary to translate?" questioned Stahl. "It wasn't that hard to understand."

"Oh that's because I made sure it would translate everything as long as I'm sure Vaike wouldn't understand it." explained Henry.

That irritated Vaike. "Oh so you think I'm that dumb, huh? Well guess what? The next time it's Vaike time and I forget my axe, I'll make sure to use you as a battering ram. What does your smartass thingamabob have to say about that?"

"_Translation: Talk shit, get hit!"_

An exasperated sigh came from the most beautiful woman— er…man in the world. "I hate to use her name in vain, but for the love of Naga, please turn that thing off!" begged Libra.

"No, no, keep it!" guffawed Flavia. "Finally, someone who tells it like it is. I was really starting to tire of all this polite talk."

"I know, right?" Henry happily agreed.

Anna looked disappointed at the Translatorb. 'And here I thought I could mass produce these for a nice profit.' she thought sadly, before quickly brightening her demeanor. 'Oh who am I kidding? There's bound to be some whack-jobs who'll want them like this!'

All these Shepherds and more continued to bicker and the Translatorb kept swearing up a storm. As all this was happening, the original group of five watched all of this in bewilderment.

"Are the Shepherds…always this…eccentric?" Lucina asked.

"We sure are." Robin confirmed from behind. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Welcome to the family."

Lucina looked to the tactician with a smile on her face. A family. It's been so long since she could say she had one. But now, she was part of one again. For the first time since Grima's revival in her time, she could finally say she was happy. And she will fight for family till the bitter end, no matter the cost.

* * *

><p><em>That Night…<em>

Lucina tossed and turned in her hammock. She couldn't understand why, but the girl just couldn't seem to fall asleep. Maybe she was just shaken from discussing about all those terrible events from her future. Lucina couldn't tell for sure. Giving up for now, she decided that she could use some fresh air and went up to the deck of the ship.

What she didn't expect however, was that there was another person there already. Especially not a certain right-hand man of her father's leaning forward on the ship's railing and looking out towards the horizon.

"Robin?" the future princess said aloud, catching the man's attention.

"Oh, Lucina? What are you doing up here this late?"

"I couldn't sleep." she answered simply.

"You too, huh?" Robin gave Lucina a small smile. He went back to looking at the skyline. "Yeah, there's been a lot on my mind lately, so I figured I get some fresh air. I'm guessing the same goes for you?"

It's always amazing how well he knew her. Granted, he was also like this back in her time, but he knew the bluenette for years by then. Here, Robin has only known this woman for three days, and already he's reading her thoughts.

"You would be right in your assumption." Lucina confirmed. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Robin put on a cheeky smile. "I'd be insulted if you didn't."

Well she certainly wouldn't want to do that to him. And she most certainly wouldn't want to pass up any opportunity to be near Robin. Alone. In a romantic setting. She took a spot next to him and leaned on the railing to gaze at the scene before her.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Robin said, trying to start a conversation. "Here I was this morning, thinking the view on this ship couldn't get any better. But out here at night, seeing all the stars in the sky and their light reflecting in the water, boy am I sure eating my words."

"I couldn't agree more." Lucina concurred. "Although that may be due to my bias towards the stars. In the future, after seeing so much death and destruction, I could only really find solace in the night sky."

"There never seems to be anything to look forward to in the future."

"There really isn't. That's why I went back in time. So I could set everything right and bring us a future where everyone lives." She tore her eyes from the horizon to look at the man beside her. "And now that I have all of you, I feel that goal can now be achieved."

"I'm glad you're finally realizing that." Robin said, returning her gaze. "It's important not to bog yourself down with negative emotions." He tried to speak as normal as possible, but there was something off about his tone.

This did not go unnoticed by Lucina. "You say that, yet you don't sound like you're in the best of moods yourself."

"That noticeable, huh?"

Lucina eased herself off the railing. "Robin, is there something wrong?"

"I did say there's been a lot on my mind didn't I?" He smirked, trying to make light of his situation. Even if Lucina did understand humor, she still wouldn't be laughing due to how worried she was for the tactician now.

Realizing his attempt fell flat, Robin bashfully turned his head away. "Sorry. Something's been bugging me all day."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lucina asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Actually, you're the only one I can talk to about this." confessed Robin.

That put Lucina on high alert. What could the issue be that Robin can only confide in her?

"What is it? Whatever it is, you can tell me." reassured Lucina.

Robin let out a deep sigh and gripped the railing tightly. "Lucina, be honest with me. The one who killed your father." He turned his head to face her again, a desperate pleading look in his eyes. "Was it me?"

Time seemed to stop at that moment for Lucina when the question registered in her brain.

"WHAT!?" Lucina screeched. She could not be more taken aback by what she just heard. Robin…her father's murderer? Preposterous! Right? "W-why would you ask that!? Why would you ever think you were the culprit!?"

"Well…you did say he was killed by his closest ally." Robin pointed out.

Lucina suddenly found the air to be very hard to breathe. Of course, it was so obvious! If her father was slain by his closest ally, who else could it be besides his second-in-command, his best friend, and the man who's always by his side? The only problem was Lucina had a hard time accepting this.

"Th-that could still be anyone!" she desperately tried to argue. "For all we know, it could be Sir Frederick! Yes that's it! Sir Frederick is just as loyal to Father, if not more so! Surely it could just as much be him!"

The future Exalt really didn't like pointing fingers at the stalwart knight, but her fear that Robin might be Chrom's murderer put her into a panic. There's just no way it could be him. Please let there be no way it could be him.

Unfortunately for her, Robin already had a counterargument. "The problem with it being Frederick is that he's so devoted to your father, that he's probably trained himself to commit suicide through muscle memory should he even _think_ about harming Chrom. Not to mention I'm still closer with him."

"We still can't deny the possibility." said Lucina. Although it was clear her resolve was breaking.

"Let's face it Lucina. I'm the prime suspect." Robin concluded, voice filled with depression.

"No." Lucina somehow managed to whisper out. This couldn't be happening. Yes, she vowed to find her father's killer and put an end to the dastard. But why did it have to be Robin? How could it be Robin? He was an honest gentle soul who was always there to make her smile, and was willing to do anything for her family. There has to be a mistake, or at least an explanation.

But first, it's best to ask the obvious question. "Do…do you plan to kill him?"

"Of course not!" Robin declared. "Chrom's my best friend! He took me in when I was just a stranger with no memories lying on the ground. I could've easily been an assassin playing the fool just to get to him. But he trusted me, took me in, and gave me a reason to live and so many new good memories, that I wouldn't mind if I never got my old ones back. He's the reason I'm here today, and I don't think there's anything I could do to repay him."

After hearing that passionate declaration, Lucina began to feel some faith that the white-haired man is innocent. "Robin…"

"But…" Robin continued, and Lucina had a feeling that she wouldn't like this next part. "At the same time, if one of us truly is Chrom's murderer, I wouldn't want it to be anyone, but me."

That set off a red flag in Lucina's mind. "What!? Wh-…why?"

"If I'm Chrom's killer, then that means the other Shepherds are innocent." explained Robin. "Chrom may be my best friend, but the others are just as important to me, and I would never want to harm any of them, even if they are your father's murderer. So if I have to be the culprit in order to not suspect them, then so be it."

Of course that's the reason. Lucina felt ashamed for ever doubting him for even a second. However, this brought up a new question.

"I understand your reasoning. But with someone of your mentality, why would you ever kill Father?" the swordswoman questioned.

"I don't know." admitted Robin, although he had a few theories. "I do have amnesia. Maybe I regain my old memories and remember that I hate him so much and I want him dead. Maybe I'm a sleeper agent ready to kill him on command and I don't even know it. Maybe I get brainwashed and murder him against my will. There's so many possibilities, I'm just not sure."

"But that would mean you didn't murder him." Lucina stated. "If you have no control over your actions, then you shouldn't be held responsible for his death."

"It was still me who did the deed though." Robin reminded. No matter what form of hope Lucina tried to bring, he always seemed to shoot it down. "I'm sorry."

How did it get like this? Back in the future, it was always Robin cheering her up whenever she felt sad. Now in this time, here he was bringing her the worst news imaginable.

However, Lucina knew this wasn't just hard on her. Robin was clearly devastated once he pieced all the clues together. Looking at him now, he seemed ready to crawl up and die from anguish. Despite everything he's told her, Lucina knew it was still only a possibility that Robin could be her father's killer, and that it could be easily someone else. She still held onto that belief, if not for her sake, then for his.

It was time for her to repay the favor and cheer him up.

"You do make some good points Robin. But this is still only conjecture. I have faith that you remained loyal till the end."

That seemed to do the trick, as the tactician finally put on a smile and seemed more relaxed. "Thank you Lucina." He let out a sigh and started to become solemn again. "However, as tactician of this army, it is my job to consider all possible outcomes and prepare accordingly. So I need you to promise me something."

"What is it?"

Robin walked up to the woman and grabbed her shoulders. If this were any other situation, Lucina would be blushing because of the physical contact with her crush. But due to her concern, it just made her more worried.

"If I ever show any signs of betraying your father, please kill me."

For the third time that night, Lucina asked the same two questions in a row.

"What!? Why!?"

"So Chrom can live and the future be saved. Isn't it obvious?"

Lucina shook her head and corrected herself. "No I mean…why me? Why do I have to be the one to take your life?"

Robin flashed her a sad smile. "Honestly, it's because I'm selfish."

"Huh?" She definitely needed an explanation. Robin was one of the most selfless people she's known. Especially after everything he's told her.

"If I'm going to die, I want it to be on my own terms. I want it to be my best friend who gives me peace. But I know that no matter what I do, Chrom will never do it. At best, he'll just punch me just for asking him."

"So you're asking me instead?" inquired Lucina.

"You're a strong woman. This is what you've preparing for all this time. In a way, I'm the reason you're here in the first place."

He didn't know it, but he was pushing a dagger through her heart. "But I'm not your best friend." She was now looking for any excuse to get out of this.

"This is going to sound crazy, but even though we've only gotten to know each other for a few days, I already feel really close to you. I can't explain it, but even though I don't believe in destiny, I feel like you and I were meant to be here for each other."

Why was this happening now? In any other context, this would be Lucina's dream come true. But now? Robin was just making her regret coming back in time in the first place.

"So can you promise me Lucina? Promise me you'll end my life before I go astray?" the tactician asked pleadingly.

Lucina turned her head away, trying to hold back her tears. "I…I…"

"You can't huh?" Robin realized. He let go of the princess's shoulders and sighed. "I should've known that was too much to ask of you. I apologize." The strangest part of all of this was that he seemed perfectly fine with the outcome. "Let's just pretend this never happened, okay?"

Lucina was shocked that he would just try to drop the subject after all of this. "Robin, we can't just ignore this!"

"We're not." he assured. "You said Chrom doesn't die until after this war, so we still have plenty of time. Hopefully I can come up with a plan by then."

"But what if you don't? Aren't you worried?"

"Nope." Robin affirmed while beaming. "Because when the moment comes, I know you'll make the right decision."

Despite the confidence in his statement, it didn't make Lucina feel any better. She dreaded the idea of choosing between her father and the man she has deep feelings for. And now she'll have this knowledge of this future situation looming over her head for a long time.

"Well, I'm beat." Robin suddenly said, trying to end all the drama. "I think I'm going to get some shuteye. Are you coming?"

Lucina just stood there and sadly shook her head.

Robin frowned, but remained respectful. "Alright, I understand." He walked past her and headed to the cabin door. Before he went down below the deck of the ship, he turned his body to face her one last time. "Good night Lucina." And with that, he was gone.

Lucina didn't even bother to watch him go. She just kept standing there in that same position, contemplating on everything that just happened. It was lot to take in all at once. For some time she hadn't moved a muscle, until in the end, she could only utter a single name.

"Robin…"

* * *

><p><em>The Next Morning…<em>

If Lucina had trouble sleeping last night, she might as well have insomnia now. Thanks to the revelation that Robin might be the reason Chrom dies and that he asked her to be his executioner, the poor girl couldn't get a wink of sleep. Really, it was amazing she was even functioning right now, though she could probably attribute that to having to get by with little sleep during the apocalypse.

Now on the deck of the ship, she sees all of the Shepherds either conversing or training, including Chrom and Robin. She wanted nothing more than to avoid the two of them, but knew that if she did so, her father would be worried about her and would prod her about what was bothering her, and then she might let it slip about the events of last night. Letting out a sigh, she went over to the two men.

"Good morning Father. And to you as well Robin." Lucina greeted.

"Good morning Lucina." Chrom greeted back, with Robin giving her a polite nod. However, the former soon got a better look at his daughter and frowned. "Lucina, are you alright."

Taken aback at first, Lucina realized that she must have looked tired (and boy Naga, she sure felt tired). She decided to be truthful about her condition. "I'm sorry. I didn't sleep well last night."

Robin looked ashamed, no doubt feeling guilty that it was because of him Lucina had trouble dozing off.

"Well that's no good." Chrom stated. "Maybe you should go back to bed until you're well rested."

Before Lucina could protest that she was fine, a voice called out to the Exalt.

"Milord." It was Frederick, who was coming over to join the trio with the two khans by his side. "The pegasus knights report the Valmese fleet matches ours, ship for ship."

"We've already encountered the enemy?" gasped Lucina.

"Your tone tells me this is not good news." assumed Chrom, noting the way Frederick delivered the message.

"It never is." Robin muttered.

"Their troops vastly outnumber ours. Our vessels are half-full, at best. But every Valmese ship is packed from stem to stern with soldiers." The great knight explained.

"It'll be a massacre if we take them head on." cringed Chrom.

"It's not like we have any other option." Flavia reminded. "We may be undermanned, but Plegia was gracious enough to give us an abundance of other supplies…including oil. Perhaps a certain tactician could find a use for that." You could practically hear her going "Hint, hint. Nudge, nudge."

Robin covered his chin with his thumb and forefinger. "Hmm…perhaps he could."

"What good's oil if we don't have any catapults to launch them with?" Basilio questioned Flavia's logic.

"There has to be other ways to set those ships aflame. Worst comes to worst, we could always turn our craft into a makeshift bomb and jump ship before we ram the enemy fleet."

"You have a death wish woman!? Just because you're eager to burn in hell, doesn't mean you have to drag us with you!"

"Do you have a better idea oaf!? At least I'm trying to come up with a plan. Which is more than what I could say for you concerning Regna Ferox's economy!"

"Oh Gods, not this again. Look if you want to talk about bad policies, why not you tell everyone how you decided to forgo all background checks on immigrants!?"

"My signature on that documentation was forged and you know it! I never dot my i's with hearts!"

"Like an old married couple, those two." murmured Robin. "If you're done bickering, I do have a plan. Frederick, did the pegasus knights locate where the General was on the enemy vessels?"

"He was on the foremost ship, backed by two more." reported Frederick.

"Perfect. Get everyone prepared for battle and lure the General's ships away from his fleet."

"Fighting against 3-to-1 odds?" The west khan grinned. "I like your style Robin!"

"Glad you're on board!" The whitehead turned to Lucina. "Are you sure you're fit to fight?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." The princess assured. "This isn't the first time I fought unrested."

The fact that Lucina admitted that she's used to fighting while tired didn't sit well with Robin, but knew that was a different matter to deal with at a later time. "Alright, in that case I'm pairing you up with Tharja. Her dark magic can support you from afar."

If Lucina didn't know Robin was a kindhearted man, she would've sworn he was just torturing her at this point. Lucina was still very wary of Tharja, and the princess wouldn't be surprised if she suffered an "accident" during battle because of this. Regardless, she knew that as the army's tactician, Robin knew best, and she would've trusted his judgment anyways.

"Very well." complied Lucina. She went off to seek the dark mage.

In a few short minutes, the Shepherds were all gathered on deck, poised to action. The ship was surrounded by three of the Valmese General's, ready to board and invade.

"Shepherds!" shouted Ignatius, the scarred Valmese General. "We have heard of your many feats during your war with Plegia, and we must say, we are most impressed! However, facing off one ship against three of ours!? You're either very brave or very stupid!"

"Good, he doesn't know we're both." Gaius kidded, his voice low enough so only the people around him could hear. "We still have the element of surprise."

"There doesn't have to be any bloodshed!" Chrom called back to the General. Despite the inevitable skirmish, he still tried to follow in his late sister's footsteps and opted to try for peace one last time. "Lay down your weapons and we can discuss negotiations!"

"HAH! You think you are in any position to negotiate!?" Ignatius scoffed. "Are you so weak that you would surrender before even drawing your sword!? PATHETIC! Valm knows no mercy, and we will crush you here and now!"

"Can't say I didn't try." sighed Chrom before putting on his game face. "Robin!"

"Got it! Miriel, Ricken, Henry! Start dumping the barrels off the stern! Everyone else, BATTLE STATIONS!"

_*Cue battle music*_

The Valmese soldiers started to board the Shepherds' vessel, either by plank or by rope. The latter didn't get far though, as Virion loaded three arrows on his bow and fired, each shot nailing a swinger in midair, causing them to plummet to the ocean.

"Ha! Did you see that Cherche? These boorish men cannot withstand the magnificence that is the 'archest of archers'!" the blue-haired bowman bragged to his retainer.

"They sure cannot." Cherche humored him as she was about to take off on Minerva. "Just make sure you can survive without me." She and her wyvern took to the skies.

"Fear not! For the sake of all the ladies in the world, this legend shall not die!" Virion proclaimed. Another soldier was charging at him and took a swipe with his sword, but Virion saw it coming and sidestepped out of its range. The soldier took another swipe, and once again, Virion sidestepped. Once more, the soldier swiped at the archer, but this time, Virion ducked it and rose back up, smacking his foe in the face with his bow. The archer then practically climbed on top of the soldier in two steps and pushed himself off of him and into the air, where he loaded another arrow and fired it straight at the enemy's heart, killing him.

When Virion landed, he saw three more men of the enemy troop charging at him, so he loaded three more arrows onto his bow. Before he could fire however, one by one the soldiers were impaled by some invisible force and they fell to the floor. Normally when someone sees something akin to a ghost murdering people, they freak out. But Virion just calmly smiled at the occurrence.

"Though I cannot see your humble presence, I offer my thanks Sir Kellam." Virion called out to thin air.

"Well at least it's nice to be appreciated." mentioned Kellam.

Elsewhere on the ship, Vaike, Donnel, and Olivia were about to face off against two knights and two mages. Vaike put on a cocky grin.

"What time is it guys?" he asked his compatriots.

"Why I do believe it's Vaike time sir." answered Donnel.

"Ya got that right!" The fighter charged at a knight, who responded the same. Their weapons clashed and they attempted multiple strikes on each other, but the only connecting hits were axe-on-lance and vice versa. The enemy knight tried a slash from the right, but Vaike parried it, causing his foe to lose his balance. Vaike grabbed the lance in one hand and buried his axe in his opponent's skull with the other. The other knight charged forward with his own lance in front, thinking the fighter might be off guard with his axe stuck in his comrade's cranium. Vaike kicked the dead adversary away from him, freeing his axe, yet getting the corpse pierced by the charging spear. Now the remaining knight was staggered, and Vaike took advantage of this by lobbing off both knights' heads in one mighty swoop of his axe.

The headless bodies fell down, and Vaike grinned at his handiwork before looking towards his companions. "How you guys holding up?"

Donnel was up against a mage with an Elwind tome while Olivia was supporting him. The pinkette's dances allowed the farm boy to become fast enough to dodge and even parry the spells with his sword, but the latter just couldn't find an opening.

"Could be better!" Donnel responded.

Olivia however saw that the second mage was beyond the knights' carcasses, and was about to blast a distracted Vaike with an Elthunder. "Vaike, duck!"

This made Vaike look at the other mage and bent over, prepared to avoid the blast. Olivia acted on impulse and rushed to the wind mage and grabbed him, somehow dodging every spell along the way. She pulled them towards Vaike and with the strength that no one (not even herself) knew she had, she performed a back-to-back flip with the bent over blonde while lifting the mage over them. She landed on the other side of Vaike and placed the mage in front of her, who absorbed the incoming Elthunder spell, frying him on the spot.

Before anyone could process what just happened, Donnel stepped on the still bent over shirtless man and jumped high into the air. With his sword pointing downward, the country kid impaled the thunder mage straight through the chest when he landed.

Needless to say, Vaike was impressed by what he just witnessed. "Okay, that was awesome. But Teach isn't a footstool."

A horse suddenly zoomed past by them. It was ridden by none other than Sully, who was about to take a charging Valmese cavalier head on. Or at least that's what the opposition thought. When they were about to clash, it turns out that Sully was riding towards the enemy's weaponless side and stuck out her lance to catch his neck. She did half of a side flip and a twirl off to the side of her horse and then fell backward, catching her opponent into a chokehold with her lance, dragging him off the back of his horse and slamming him head first into the deck, no doubt breaking his neck.

Two soldiers rushed over to the now horseless woman. Sully smirked and made many swings and twirls with her weapon to deflect each and every blow that came her way. After about seventeen blocked attacks, she sidestepped out of the enemies' range as her steed came speeding back and trampled the soldiers as it was passing by. Sully managed to jump back on her horse as this was happening, and with a proud smile on her face, she went to look for more foes to fight.

She noticed Stahl passing by on his own horse, who managed to take out two soldiers on his own just by getting in two good sword slashes while he was riding passed them. However, a third soldier leapt up and almost caught Stahl off guard, even making a cut in his shoulder. But the green cavalier reacted just at the exact same time to make a swipe and slit the guy's throat, making that his third kill of the fight. Unfortunately, the cut was still very painful, and he had to clutch his shoulder to bear with it for the moment.

"You gotta step up your game Stahl!" Sully called out to her male counterpart before riding off.

"Erk! I'll keep that in mind." Stahl winced at the pain. Fortunately, Maribelle came trotting along on her steed and healed his wound with her staff. "Thanks Maribelle."

"Do to try to be more careful from now on." the healer requested.

On one of the enemy ships, Gaius was taking on three soldiers at once. Luckily, his speed and quick reflexes made it easy for him to block all of their hits, to the point that he was practically just toying with them now.

The thief took the lollipop out of his mouth to taunt his foes. "Is that seriously all you suckers can do? I'm recovering from a sugar rush right now and I'm still running circles around you guys."

One of the soldiers took a swipe at Gaius, and while he didn't make a scratch on the candy lover, he did manage to cut off the main part of the lollipop he was waving around. Gaius watched it fall to the floor, and after it hit the deck of the ship, he let out a large annoyed sigh.

The thief went full on assault on the guy who destroyed his precious sweet. The soldier tried his best to deflect every blow, but after three attacks, Gaius landed five consecutive slashes on his torso and threw his sword high into the air as soon as he got in that last hit. Another of the soldiers tried to slash at him, but Gaius grabbed his wrist as the attack was coming and kneed the adversary in the gut, causing him to stumble a bit before the ginger kicked him away. The third soldier went in for a stab, but Gaius sidestepped it, seized the stabbing arm with both of his own and twisted it just right to make it break. As the poor soul screamed in agony, the thief kicked his knee at the right angle, causing his leg break as well and make him fall to one knee. Finally Gaius gripped the soldier's head and snapped his neck, ending him once and for all.

The second soldier finally recovered and tried to come back with a vengeance. Emphasis on tried, because when he went in for another strike, Gaius simply grabbed his arm again, ducked under it, and elbowed the guy in the back, who tried to keep his balance and not fall forward. At this point, Gaius's sword finally fell down, and the man with a sweet tooth caught it by the hilt and stabbed the staggered enemy behind, finishing him off, and all without looking back.

On that same ship, Lon'qu and Gregor were standing back to back, both in battle stances ready to strike, and surrounded by at least ten soldiers.

"Remember what Gregor taught you." Gregor told the stoic swordsman.

"I remember." Lon'qu assured curtly.

All the soldiers charged at the two at once. One second, there were two quick slashes. The next second, all the enemy troops were standing on the opposite side from where they attacked from. And in the second after that, they all fell to the ground, each with a giant gash, while Lonn'qu and Gregor remained unscathed.

In the skies, Sumia and Cordelia were tag-teaming a falcon knight. One woman would swoop in and try to score in a hit with a hit-and-run tactic, while the other would quickly follow up with the same strategy in an attempt to overwhelm their adversary. At first the falcon knight was able to hold her own for a while, but then the Ylissean fliers began to switch it up by attacking at the same time, causing their foe to only be able to defend against one assault, but take damage from another. Eventually, the flacon knight could no longer protect itself, and with a well-timed dual strike, she was knocked off her mount and sent plummeting into the sea.

There was still one other falcon knight left, which Cherche was trying to take care of. Since this was basically a one-on-one fight, she couldn't use the same hit-and-run tactic, so their weapons clashed blow for blow constantly. Realizing this was getting her nowhere, Cherche made a daring move and did a graceful twirling jump off Minerva, into the air, and landed on the foe's pegasus behind the rider herself. Before the falcon knight had a chance to react, Cherche cleaved her in two with her axe and sent her falling off. The wyvern rider wasn't done yet, as she made a downward strike onto the pegasus, causing it to whinny in pain and lose altitude. Cherche jumped into the air, with Minerva flying over to her to catch her on the wyvern's scaly back while simultaneously snatching the injured pegasus in her massive maw.

"Good girl!" Cherche praised her loyal companion. "Now let's go!"

The duo flew over to the ship where Gaius, Lon'qu, and Gregor were. Once the three saw the wyvern rider in the sky, they made a hasty retreat to get off the ship with the Valmese troops on their tail. With a flick of her head, Minerva tossed the struggling pegasus in her mouth onto the vessel, making the winged horse slide and scrape across the deck, taking out any enemies in its path before finally crashing into the cabin.

On another enemy ship, Panne was in her beast form running around, kicking and tearing up any foes she came across. Any survivors got up and went to chase her. When she reached the end of the ship, the enemy troops thought they had cornered her, but failed to notice their own barrels of oil nearby her. Panne grabbed one, and using her amazing beast strength, tossed it in the air towards the group of foes. Nowi happened to be flying up above them in her dragon form, and launched a fireball at the barrel while it was still in midair, creating an explosion which knocked the enemies off their feet. When they got back up, they saw in front of them fire burning on the ship and casting a malevolent glow on Panne, which would've made anyone quake.

The troops were backing away from the giant rabbit, not noticing that Frederick and Libra were behind them. That is until they started getting either pierced by a lance or mashed with a hammer. One enemy did manage to react fast enough and threw his spear at Frederick. But the great knight caught it with his free hand, twirled it once, and threw it right back at him, nailing him in the solar plexus.

Meanwhile, Lucina was having some minor trouble with a single soldier. Normally, she could take on about three to four average mooks on her own, but the fatigue from not getting a good night's rest was working against her. The swordswoman was blocking every strike, but she kept backing away due to not having her usual amount of strength. Soon she was near the edge of the railing, and she realized she needed to be on the offensive now. Lucina performed an overhead strike, which the soldier blocked, but the princess used the momentum and leverage to lift herself into the air, flip over her opponent, and land behind him. She then shoved her back into the soldier's, pushing him off the railing.

Another soldier came by locked blades with the bluenette. They tried to overpower one another, until the soldier managed to knock Lucina's Falchion out of her hands and up into the air. The new opponent went in for a stab, but Lucina sidestepped it and kicked him away. Her sword came back down, which she caught and then stabbed her adversary in the face. As she freed Falchion and the body fell, Lucina swiped at the air to get as much fresh blood off it as she could.

Lucina decided to check on how her partner was doing. Looking to the side, she saw Tharja going toe to toe with a mage, each one swiping with their hands creating a magic slash. Dark on fire, magic clashed with each other. The Valmese mage tried a horizontal swipe, which Tharja responded by leaning back and getting her knees on the floor, ducking the attack. Then in one swift motion, the dark mage sweep kicked her enemy, causing him to fall face forward, and then she did a quick spin on the floor and stood up, pointing her hand at the fallen mage's back.

"Nosferatu!" Tharja called out. A health-draining dark spell was unleashed on the fire mage, draining his energy and adding it to her own.

Lucina headed over to the dark mage to support her, standing back to back. "Are you alright." the future Exalt asked, trying to see how well her partner was holding up.

"I'm fine." Tharja gave a curt reply.

Lucina noticed on the General's ship next to the one they're on, an archer was aiming an arrow at them.

"Archer!" Lucina shouted. Said archer fired the arrow at the two women, but the future child was able to cut it in midair before it hit either of them. Tharja launched another Nosferatu spell on the archer, taking him out.

On their ship, a dark mage came by and was about to fire his own Nosferatu spell on the ladies. Lucina caught sight of him though and charged straight at him. The dark mage shot his spell at the swordswoman, which she deflected with Falchion and cut this foe down.

Once this occurred, Tharja noticed a few dark sparks lingering on Lucina's blade from the spell she just repelled. "There's some dark magic residue on your sword." She told the girl.

"Is that bad?" Lucina inquired.

"No." Tharja responded. "In fact, it's good for us. Cover me, will you?" She then began to concentrate her power into one spell.

Lucina wasn't sure how much more of this she could take, her restlessness starting to get the better of her. Nevertheless, she did as she was asked and took a battle stance. Two more soldiers came to them, and Lucina deflected sword strike after sword strike, trying to find an opening. Some time has passed before Lucina managed to subdue them and take them down. Usually she could dispatch foes much faster than that, but her exhaustion was growing and her adrenaline was beginning to wane.

Fortunately, Tharja finally finished her spell. "It's complete. Now block this spell."

"What!?" Lucina cried out.

"Nosferatu!" Tharja shot her concentrated spell at the future Exalt, which she blocked as she was told to. However, instead of bouncing off like usual, the spell enveloped her sword in darkness.

_*Cue different battle music that says "enemies are screwed"*_

Lucina pondered just what exactly Tharja did, but another soldier was coming over, so she casted those thoughts aside for now, and locked blades with this new foe. As she did so, Lucina could feel her energy being restored and her fatigue fading away, while the soldier seemed to be growing weaker. The bluenette managed to overpower him and took him out quickly. Afterwards, she looked to Tharja for an explanation.

"It's a heavily concentrated Nosferatu spell which your sword absorbed and turned into a sort of 'power up'." enlightened the dark mage. "It should drain your enemies' energy as long as you make some form of physical contact with them."

Understanding completely, Lucina gained a determined look and hopped onto the railing, leapt off it, and landed on the General's ship. There, she was immediately faced off against three soldiers, but this time, she had no problems parrying their blows. Each blocked attack sapped some of their stamina, until they left themselves open enough and Lucina jumped up and did a leg split, kicking away two soldiers, landing and then cutting down the third one. She had no time to rest though, as three enemy knights were rushing towards her.

"Thoron!" A well-known voice yelled. A beam of lightning hit all three knights and zapped them to death. Lucina saw Robin, Chrom, and the khans coming onto the ship. Robin gave the future princess an assuring smile and nod, of which she returned to him in full. She joined the four and went to the bow of the ship to face off against Ignatius, where he was flanked by two heavily armored knights.

"Arrogant pups!" spat Ignatius. "The seas are my home, and they will be your grave!"

The group of five all let out a battle cry and charged at the heavily armored Valmese knights. Robin and Chrom took on one of the bodyguards while Basilio and Flavia fought against the other. Lucina however went straight for Ignatius solo, dragging her Nosferatu empowered Falchion across the deck of the ship. Ignatius kept trying to impale her with his lance, but Lucina kept managing to block each strike, each one draining the General's energy. After the twentieth deflected stab, Lucina slashed at his weapon, cutting it in two. She did another slash, this time cutting off Ignatius hands. And in that same motion, she twirled once and unleashed one final stab straight into his chest.

Ignatius stood there coughing up blood, not believing he was just beaten so easily by such a whelp. "Strike me down, and ten more will take my place." he wheezed. "You…have…lost…"

"Then we will strike down each and every last one of them, for we cannot afford to fail." Lucina affirmed.

Those were the last words Ignatius heard before he finally stopped living. The Nosferatu boost finally wore off and Lucina pulled her sword free, causing the lifeless corpse to fall.

_*End battle music*_

The other four have finished subduing the guards and saw that Lucina had taken out the General for them.

"Their General has fallen!" Robin called out to all the Shepherds. "Mages, you're up!"

Meanwhile with the rest of the Valmese fleet, a soldier on a vessel witnessed Ignatius's defeat. "Sir, I regret to inform you that General Ignatius has been defeated!"

"What!?" screamed a Valmese commander. "Impossible! How could Ignatius be defeated!? He's one of Walhart's finest Generals!" He stroked his chin, trying to contemplate the notion. "This act of transgression will not go unpunished! All hands on deck, full speed ahead!"

Another soldier was looking over the railing with a confused look on his face. "Uh, hey guys. Has the water always been black?" he asked.

The first soldier and commander looked over the railing and noticed that all the water around the fleet of ships was indeed pitch black. Not only that, there were a bunch of barrels floating in it as well. It was then that they realized that it wasn't water, but oil.

The first soldier looked through his telescope and saw three mages aim towards the oil and barrels. "Oh shi—"

"Elfire!" Miriel, Ricken, and Henry all unleashed Elfire spells at a barrel, setting off a chain reaction of explosions and fire all over Valmese fleet and setting the setting the sea ablaze.

"Gives you a nice warm feeling huh?" Henry joked.

The remaining troops fighting the Shepherds noticed this ocean of fire and immediately surrendered, realizing they've lost. Every one of the Shepherds gathered back onto their ship, setting themselves back on course to Valm.

"I have to hand it to you Robin, you may have outdone yourself." Chrom complimented his best friend. "Only you could ever come up with such a brilliant plan."

"Did you ever really doubt me?" Robin bragged jokingly. "But if there's anyone who deserves praise here, it's your daughter." He turned to face said daughter. "Taking on a General by yourself without any sleep and still not breaking a sweat? If only I had half your skill."

"O-oh, i-it was nothing." Lucina blushed. This was embarrassing. She could curb-stomp a General and take on hordes of Risen, but she can't stop herself from getting flustered when Robin compliments her. "To be fair, I only succeeded thanks to Tharja."

"Is that so?" Robin noted, pleasantly surprised. "That's great to hear. I was actually worried a bit that she might give you a hard time after what happened a couple of days ago. It's good to know I haven't broken my perfect streak of good judgment."

Trying to look normal in front of him, Lucina let out a chuckle at what she assumed to be a joke. "Well I better make sure I show her my gratitude for what she's done." With that, she went to go search for the dark mage, and found her skulking alone as usual.

"What do you want now?" Tharja asked the bluenette aloofly.

Lucina was a little perturbed that Tharja was still acting so distant towards her after what had just happened, but decided to attribute it to the fact that that's how she always acts.

"I just wanted to say thank you for your assistance in battle and—"

"Save it." Tharja rudely interrupted. "I didn't do that because we're friends."

"Excuse me?" This definitely wasn't what Lucina was expecting.

"We're simply allies fighting a common enemy at best, and I simply have no intention of dying anytime soon." So much for trying to make amends. "And besides, you're far too valuable to me to let you go so prematurely."

"I don't understand. What is so important about me?" Lucina asked, although she honestly didn't expect an answer.

Strangely, Tharja proved her wrong. "You're from the future, which means you have a vast amount of knowledge of what's going to happen. And I have questions that you have answers for. Simple as that."

Lucina couldn't fault her for that. Anybody would be eager to know just what happens in their future lives, whether it be mundane or life-changing.

"And one more important thing you should know." Tharja mentioned. She looked at the future child dead in the eye. "Robin. Is. Mine. You can't have him. You will never have him. No matter how much you try, you will always be nothing more than 'Chrom's daughter' in his eyes. So just quit while you're ahead." With that, the dark mage walked off.

Despite what she said, Lucina wasn't disheartened at all. In fact, she understood the real message behind those words. Underneath all the demotivation and warnings, Lucina could tell that Tharja was subtly challenging her. She glared at the woman walking away.

"Very well. I accept your challenge, _harlot_."

"_Translation: Game on, bitch!"_

"Henry! Will you turn that thing off!" Chrom ordered.

"Nyahaha!"

* * *

><p><strong>*Munch* Mmm... *Munch* Mmm! *Munch* Oh sorry, I was just enjoying this bag of chips I got. So I probably took <em>way<em> too many liberties with that fight, since who could say for sure that the Shepherds are capable of all those feats? I really only made it like that for the sole excuse that it would be awesome in my mind. But when you really think about it, they did basically kill Satan in the end so...**

**Not to mention that in _Smash Bros._, Robin and Lucina do somehow go toe to toe with a gorilla, two fire-breathing dragons, a bunch of animals with magical powers, a fierce bounty hunter in a power suit, a psychic kid, a super fast hedgehog, a robot with the powers of many evil robots, a dark warlock, a boy with a giant laser sword who can see the future, a pink blob who can copy the powers of anyone he swallows and regularly kills eldritch abominations (but he cannot beat Majin Buu in a fight! That "Death Battle" was magnanimous amounts of bullshit!), a goddess and her angel servant who regularly beats up gods (and also killed Satan), and the most powerful one of them all, Captain Falcon. So they have to have some kind of hidden strength and badassery to match up against all of that.**

**Oh wait, you're probably wondering why I even put in a fight scene in the first place. Well this is a fanfic about a game about war. There has to be at least some fight scenes, or else I'm not doing it right. Besides, fight scenes are just awesome! I mean who doesn't like fight scenes? I just see characters duke it out and beat the shit out of each other with cool moves and sick combos all the time! But I get why people don't usually write them, because they're hard to write in general. Hopefully I didn't screw up too badly and did this one justice.**

**And sorry for all the drama in the middle of this chapter. It just baffles me that Lucina tells everyone that Chrom is betrayed and killed by someone close to him and no one suspects Robin, _the person who's closest to Chrom_! Did people in medieval times not have common sense!? Oh wait they still had witch trials back then. That answers my question. Anyways, so I just wrote that part to try and make a realistic conversation between Lucina and Robin about how the latter could be a danger to Chrom, while still having it flow with the story.**

**Alright I'm done for now. Stay tuned for chapter 3, coming out...whenever.**


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